Plantar fasciitis is probably the most prevalent complaint that affects the feet. Due to just how prevalent it is, there are so many pretending to be experts about it on the net giving out harmful tips on how to deal with this. The classical clinical features plantar fasciitis are discomfort under the rearfoot which is more painful when arising from rest, especially first thing each day.
Plantar fasciitis is a problem of the plantar fascia (which is a strong structure which props up the mid-foot of the feet) when the cumulative load placed on the plantar fascia is higher than what the ligament can take. This means that there are only two main factors that cause plantar fasciitis: the cumulative stress is too large or the tissues are too weak. The force is increased by body weight, restricted calf muscles, exercise levels as well as biomechanical issues. The tissues being too prone is caused by dietary issues along with genetic factors.

The logical solution to heal from plantar fasciitis is to lessen the load and increase the capability of the tissues to accept the strain. You reduce the load by slimming down, using taping as well as foot supports, and also stretching the achilles tendon. You improve the capacity of the tissue to take the load through ensuring the nutritional status is acceptable and do progressing loading activities for the plantar fascia. You can not do anything at all regarding the genetics. It is really that straightforward and there is no need for plantar fasciitis to be a really huge problem that it is. Podiatry is good at reducing the load and physical therapy is good at tissue reconditioning.

The problem with the management of plantar fasciitis and all the advice being given on the internet for it is that the natural history of plantar fasciitis is to get better on its own eventually. Just look into the no treatment groups in the clinical trials on different treatments for plantar fasciitis; they do get better. Eventually can be quite a long time and it is painful, so they nonetheless must be treated as opposed to wait until it improves. This simply means that, no matter what treatment is used, a particular percent are likely to recover anyway resulting from that natural history. This means that bad solutions continue as they all do manage to help some, when in reality they did not help any. People who appear to be successfully managed using that treatment are likely to endorse that it is helpful. This also means that the treatments that you should used are the ones which have been demonstrated to lead to better consequences than just the natural history. This means that we won’t become deceived into believing a therapy works when in reality it might not help any better in comparison to the natural history. We should be cautious taking any suggestions on the web for almost any medical condition and avoid the snake oil.

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An abductory twist is a motion that is seen as a ‘medial whip’ or ‘ sudden abduction’ of the heel as it just starts to come off the ground during gait.

There are several reasons offered for this. Some are distal and occur in the foot and some are proximal and occur in the hip. There is probably no consensus on this with podiatrosts more likely to think its coming from the foot and physical therapists more likely to think its coming from the hip.

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A huge shout out to some friends I have at Croydon Total Footcare in Melbourne, Australia. They are a well established and well-known podiatry clinic and they are very supportive of what I do.

You can read more about then and the reviews they have had from patients at Yelp, and on Podiatrists Online, there is a map to find them at Whereis, they have a listing on Bing local, and also at the Podiatry Tradeshow, as well as at True Local where they support the community, and at Podiatry TV. They also have a pretty good write up at PodiaPaedia and  Rate MD

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100 Up Running is a recently rediscovered running drill that a lot of runners are implementing into their training routine. It was originally used in the 1800’s. It is claimed that it helps develop a more efficient running gait by using more of a forefoot strike.

There is some controversy about it and there is no evidence to support it. Some coaches think that it encourages too much hip flexion.

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The Cluffy Wedge is what we sometime add onto the front of a foot orthotic to treat functional hallux limitus. It hold the great toe in a slightly dorsiflexed position.

The commercially available Cluffy Wedge is one option. Many clinicians just make their own. There is some disagreement as to if this helps functional hallux limitus or impacts on the windlass mechanism.

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This a a particular approach to running technique that uses a more of a midfoot strike; more of a forward lean when running and more of a spiritual approach to running. There are many claims made about this technique being more efficient and there being less injuries associated with it.

There is no evidence to support that claims that are made for Chi running and from what I can tell the injury rate in those that follow Chi running is no different to that which occurs in any other runner.

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Chilblains are pesky painful and itchy lesions that usually appear on the toes of those that are vulnerable to them in certain cold climates.

Poor circulation is not a problem in chilblains, but it is more an issue of a to rapid change in temperature from cold to warm that triggers an abnormal response in the blood vessels and how the body controls them. It is an inflammation in response to the build up of waste products from this process that actually causes the chilblain.

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At first glance its could be obvious that they have nothing to do with each other, but that is not the case. Those with Autism get foot problems, just like any other kid and they need treating, so Podiatrists have o be familiar with the condition.

The other foot related problem that is common in Autism is toe walking. This is very common in those with Autism.

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Cancer is a devastating diagnosis to have. Cancer can and does affect the foot. It may be primary in the tissues that make up the foot or it may migrate to the foot from other parts of the body.

The pain from cancer in the foot may mimic so many other common foot complaints. It is very uncommon in the foot; in fact it is so uncommon that the diagnosis is often missed.

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Runners are always looking for and edge in their training and techniques. One of these is a really old up techniques is what is known as 100 Up and was recently made popular by an article in the New York Times.

While this was made popular by an author who has a huge following in the barefoot running community, there was very little critical appraisal of it.

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